KUCHING: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah disagrees with constitutional law expert Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi’s opinion that Sarawak cannot impose the sales tax on petroleum products.
Shad Saleem in a lecture on the spirit of Malaysia Agreement 1963 suggested matters concerning petroleum products were in federal hands.
“If you put ten lawyers in a room and ask them to speak on the subject matter you can have different points. Because that is his opinion saying sales tax on petroleum product is the rights of federal government, and the state government does not have the right.
“Well, I would say that is his opinion even though he was my lecturer and I have very high regard for him. But personally I do not agree with him. There are certain things which he might not be in the know, unless he goes very deep into this area on taxation.
“If you (Shad) are just to look at it from the surface probably you will be saying, yes, right to extract oil goes under the federal government,” he said after officiating at the Kuala Lumpur Drama Festival Sarawak Version at Unimas yesterday.
He added that Shad may have overlooked the jurisdiction and rights of this state in the matter.
Earlier, Abdul Karim expressed his gratitude for the festival to be brought to Sarawak and described the collaboration with Unimas as the right choice as it provides the students a platform to express their
creativity and practically put it into practice.
Abdul Karim also hoped that more programmes could be organised by Media Prima here in Sarawak.
Also present were Prima Media Group Berhad chairman Datuk Syed Hussian Aljunid, Primeworks Studios CEO Datuk Ahmad Izham Omar, Media Prima Television Network CEO Johan Ishak, Unimas Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts Dean Assoc Prof Dr Musdi Shanat and Unimas registrar Henry Tening.
